It’s interesting to reflect on the various ways the Boise real estate market has changed in the past few years.

Here are a few personal observations.

• No one asks me when we’ll see “the bottom” anymore
• Nearly every buyer uses the internet when searching for a home.
• Many buyers find the home they buy (by themselves) on the internet.
• I haven’t faxed any contract paperwork in the past three years.
• Nearly all contract paperwork is now signed with e-signatures using Docusign or Authentisign.
• Very few offers are presented to sellers in-person by their listing agent.
• It’s common for listing agents and buyer’s agents to close transactions without ever meeting each other.
• Both buyers and sellers take 3.5% interest rates for granted.
• Most buyers are paying their own closing costs again.
• It’s been a long time since a seller asked me to reduce my commission.
• Liar loans and 80/20 zero down loans are gone.
• Real estate loans require a lot more documentation now.
• Most buyers don’t know what a “short sale” is.
• FSBOs are mostly gone from our market.
• Discount brokers are mostly gone from our market.
• New construction is again alive and well in the Boise real estate market.
• Tighter lending guidelines have eliminated most real estate speculation in our market.
• Construction lenders are again active, but remain careful about letting builders get over-extended.
• Some builders still have difficulty obtaining spec home financing.
• Many buyers are opting to do a build job after failing to find a suitable resale home.
• We have roughly 5,000 Ada County members of Intermountain MLS again.

Meridian, Idaho homeowners have some of the most beautiful lawns you will ever see.

But, Summer is gone and October is just around the corner.

In a few weeks, delivery of our pressurized irrigation water will end and it will be time for our lawns to go to sleep for the upcoming winter.

With our cooler temperatures and shorter days, it’s time to cut back on your watering and prepare your lawn for Winter.

Check your sprinklers and adjust them to fewer days of watering per week and shorter watering times.

Your lawn doesn’t require as much water at this time of year as it does during the hot Summer weather and over-watering is not a good idea.

It’s also important that you feed your lawn before it goes dormant in the coming weeks.

I use Scott’s Winterizing Fertilizer applied with a broadcast spreader.

Feeding your lawn before it goes to sleep will help it awaken looking nice and healthy next Spring.